Aerodynamic airflow considerations are a priority of vehicle body design. Effective airflow management over a vehicle body can be critical in meeting functional demands for passenger compartment acoustics, fuel efficiency and safety of passenger type vehicles. Aerodynamic design also enhances vehicles control and improves speed of passenger vehicles. Front splitters are a common aerodynamic used to controls airflow around the vehicle and limit front end lift and creates downforce.
A front splitter is typically found on the front-end of a vehicle and appears as a flat extension to the bottom of the front bumper. Typically, the splitter is rigid and extends straight out, parallel to the ground and is attached to the bumper with support rods to ensure the front splitter remains forward of the bumper and parallel to the ground.
Depending on its positioning, a front splitter can limit how much air is directed under the vehicle by slicing through the incoming air stream and directing a portion of the airflow over the vehicle body. A front splitter can helpful in preventing front end lift as well as providing downward force on the vehicle. The overall reduced lift and increased down force is created by the flat extension slicing through oncoming air and restricting airflow along the underbody of the vehicle.
To understand how a typical splitter prevents lift and creates downward force it is helpful to understand the fluid dynamics as oncoming air approaches the front of a vehicle. When oncoming air reaches the front of the vehicle it must come to a stop before it turns to move either up and over, down and under, or around the vehicle. Thus the front of the moving vehicle is an area of relatively high pressure.
The relatively high pressure at the front of a moving vehicle pushes back on the vehicle creating drag. By extending a front splitter out from the front of the vehicle, the high pressure will also push down on the top of the splitter.
Also, the typical front splitter extends below the bumper close to the road and air flowing underneath the front splitter and vehicle creates somewhat of a Venturi effect, based on Bernoulli's equation, where pressure is decreased as air is forced through a constriction and speeds up in velocity. Thus the region between the splitter and the pavement is an area of low pressure. This adds up to a downward force on the splitter.
The resultant dynamic downward force generally helps the driver to retain control of the vehicle at higher road speeds. A front splitter is typically associated with racing vehicles. However, the aerodynamic principles also apply to passenger vehicles. But there are several factors which limit a typical front splitter's aerodynamic effectiveness on a passenger vehicle. Additionally, front splitters for passenger vehicles must be to have adequate ground clearance to accommodate suspension and body movement over dips and potholes, which makes typical splitters aerodynamically effective. Design considerations for front splitters are for passenger vehicle are also restricted by government regulations which typically limit how far a front splitter may protrude beyond the bumper of a vehicle.
Utility vehicles, such as sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks, have also been popular in recent years. As utility vehicles have become popular for utilization as passenger vehicles, manufacturers of utility vehicles have incorporated many features into utility vehicles to enhance fuel efficiency, safety and control at high speeds.
Utility vehicles are often designed for travel through rough terrain. Additionally, utility vehicles are generally designed to haul cargo, whether in a cargo compartment, a bed of the vehicle, or by towing cargo with a trailer. In order to meet these extreme design requirements, utility vehicles are often provided with a vehicle body that is elevated greater than conventional passenger vehicles. In order to meet the fuel efficiency and safety standards while maintaining the elevated cargo compartments in utility vehicles, front end airflow management of utility vehicles is required.